Freedom’s Perilous Cost

Before I begin my blog on Memorial Day, I must say that the war has changed. The war victims that we will be mourning this weekend, and for so much longer, are children. We are crying with their parents. We are crying for Texas and all the other places this has happened, and we are crying for our nation. That such a war as this would take place in our nation is unimaginable, unthinkable, incomprehensible. How can anyone of any age go to an elementary school and just kill. Children. Innocent of life, of experience, of true evil: children. Even though school shootings have been taking place since 1764 in the US, it is clear that they have escalated to an unnerving height in the 2000's. So, when I turn this over to my original blog, I ask that we all remember the casualties and families of this new war that began many years ago and is so random as to be almost unstoppable, and that we pause in remembrance for all our lost, our fallen, our innocents. Gone in the battle, lost to an unnamable evil; our fallen children in a battle they never saw coming. This battlefield was in Uvalde, Texas. Where will the next battle take place? How can this war be stopped? I fear no one can answer either question. For now, let us remember in sorrow, in pain, in horror. And let us love, so that those who are the “enemy” might be noticed, helped, changed – before they break out the next battlefield.

Freedom’s Perilous Cost

Not surprisingly, more Americans were killed during the Civil War than in any other war in American history (some 620,000), thus Memorial Day – the day we honor our fallen service men and women – was established shortly after its end (1868 – generated by General John A. Logan). We have been honoring our fallen ever since.

This commemorative day was originally called Decoration Day. Every year, from its inception, Decoration Day was held on May 30th. Its title was officially changed to Memorial Day in 1967, and the day it is held was changed in 1970 to the last Monday in May. Interestingly, the original date, May 30th, was chosen because no particular battle had taken place on that day. Out of curiosity, I googled it to see if that had changed in the ensuing years, and I found several battles had taken place on May 30th – during the Civil War! Perhaps they hadn’t had all the information collected when they chose a battle-free date. The thought, at least, of it being a no-battle date made it an appropriate day to pause and remember those who fought for our lives and freedoms.

Every year on Memorial Day, at 3 p.m. local time, we are to take a moment to pause in remembrance of those who died to make our lives better, freer. Major League Baseball once held moments of silence before games and also paused games at 3 p.m. to observe and remember.

It is uncertain where the first community commemorations were held, except possibly in Charleston, South Carolina by a group of formerly enslaved people less than a month after the Civil War ended in 1865. In 1966 [Congress was busy in the 60’s – at least in establishing our federal holidays], the federal government declared Waterloo, New York as the official birthplace of Memorial Day (did we need an official birthplace?). This was because Waterloo’s first celebration was on May 5, 1866, and it hosted annual, community-wide events, closed businesses, and residents decorated graves of soldiers with flowers and flags. This, no doubt, set the traditions many of us still uphold.

There’s a sad, but lovely history behind why we wear a red poppy to honor our fallen individuals. After the Second Battle of Ypres, in 1915, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, a physician with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, wrote the poem, "In Flanders Fields"* in which the opening and closing phrases mention the fields of poppies that grew among the soldiers' graves in Flanders. In 1920, the National American Legion adopted the red poppy as its official symbol of remembrance after YWCA worker Moina Michael attended a YWCA Overseas War Secretaries' conference in 1918 wearing a silk poppy pinned to her coat. She passed them out to over 2 dozen people present. Women have definitely made their mark on this planet, even though it’s been an uphill battle and, in the early years in particular, few received the credit.

While the red poppy covers all our fallen heroes, did you know there are three other colors of poppies that are worn as memorial tributes? The black poppy is commonly associated with the commemoration of black, African and Caribbean communities’ contribution to the war effort, both as service men and women and as civilians. The white poppy pays tribute to those who died in conflict, but with an emphasis on the final, extreme commitment to achieving peace and in challenging the way we see war. (It is also the symbol of the Peace Pledge Union, which holds the pledge: "War is a crime against humanity.”) The purple poppy or “Animal poppy” is worn in remembrance of the sacrifices of all service animals who lost their lives, as well as for honoring animals in the armed forces today who support and serve on the frontline, helping soldiers return to their families. I’m not sure I’ll ever look at poppies the same again. Even if most of ours locally are orange.

I imagine most everyone has lost someone to a war in some part of our family trees. It is a heart-rending business, but sometimes we haven’t any choice but to protect our people. So, we honor these people who gave their lives in service to our nation, our people.

May God bless those who are serving now, their families, and those who have lost loved ones while serving our country.

If you plan to fly an American flag on Memorial Day, it should be flown at half-staff until noon, then briskly raised to the top until sunset.

If you are interested in finding ways to honor our service women & men, check the local newspapers, Chamber of Commerce, or google your area for community events.

*In Flanders Fields

By John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie,

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.